π² The 11 Most Beautiful Natural Curiosities of Western Switzerland in 2020
π² The 11 Most Beautiful Natural Curiosities of French-speaking Switzerland in 2020
Sommaire
French-speaking or Western Switzerland has many beautiful natural sights on its territory thanks to a particularly varied geological landscape.
La Torpille lists below, in order of preference, the 11 most beautiful natural curiosities.
- Creux du Van Rock Cirque
- Gorges of Trient
- Caves of Vallorbe
- Saint LΓ©onard Underground Lake
- Doubs Fall
- Saint-Maurice Fairy’s Cave
- Gorges of Durnand
- Euseigne Pyramides
- Tine de Conflens
- Arolla Blue Lake
- PisseVache Waterfall
Creux du Van Rock Cirque
π Location: Canton of NeuchΓ’tel
π Link: All the details about the Creux du Van Rock Cirque
βοΈ Description: Creux du Van is the most beautiful curiosity of French-speaking Switzerland. Sometimes called the “Swiss Grand Canyon”. It is a rocky cirque with cliffs 150 meters high and is located in a nature reserve where wild animals can be observed.
The rocky cirque of Creux du Van.
A drone video on the Creux du Van rocky cirque.
π Stroll: A nice walk in the form of a loop, “le sentier des 14 contours“, goes along the crests of Creux du Van then passes at the foot of the cliffs and through the village of Noiraigue.
π Length: 14 km
π Positive height difference: 780 mΓ¨tres
β²οΈ Time: 4 heures 30 minutes
Gorges of Trient
π Location: Vernayaz, Canton of Valais
π Link: All the details about the Gorges of Trient
βοΈ Description: The Trient Gorge is the most impressive gorge in French-speaking Switzerland with vertical rock faces over 100 metres high. They are carved out by the river Trient shortly before it flows into the Rhone at Vernayaz between Martigny and Saint-Maurice.
The footbridges are suspended on the river bed with a metal protective net to protect the visitor from falling rocks.
A video about a walk along the footbridges of the Trient Gorges.
π Stroll. A paying trail starts at the level of the flower shop and overhangs the bottom of the gorges for a few hundred meters with the help of wooden footbridges before returning by the same path
The path of the Trient Gorges.
Caves of Vallorbe
π Location: Vallorbe, Canton of Vaud
π Link: All the details about theΒ Caves of Vallorbe
βοΈ Description: The Vallorbe Caves are the largest visitable caves in Switzerland. They were dug into the limestone by the river Orbe coming from the Lac de Joux.
A room of the Vallorbe caves.
A TF1 video about the Vallorbe caves.
π Stroll: A round trip along the same path with the help of a paper guide allows you to discover the roaring river, numerous stalagmites or stalactites and huge rooms.
β²οΈ Time: 1 hour
Saint-LΓ©onard Underground Lake
π Location: Saint-LΓ©onard, Canton of Valais
π Link: All the details about the Saint-LΓ©onard Underground Lake
βοΈ Description: The underground lake of Saint-LΓ©onard, near Sion in Valais, is the largest navigable groundwater lake in Europe.
A boat of visitors on the lake.
An aperitif in the caves of Lake Saint-LΓ©onard.
π Walk: No walk but a boat trip on the underground lake.
π Length: 0.6 km
β²οΈ Time: 45 min
Doubs Fall
π Location: Les Brenets, Canton of Valais
π Link: All the details about the Doubs Fall
βοΈ Description: The Doubs Fall is a waterfall shortly after the Lac des Brenets in the canton of NeuchΓ’tel on the border with France.
The Doubs Fall from the French side.
A drone video on the Brenets Lake and the Doubs Fall.
π Walk from the end of the Lac des Brenets to the waterfall and back.
π Length: 1.5 km
β²οΈ Time: 30 min
Saint-Maurice Fairy’s Cave
π Location: Saint-Maurice, Caton of Valais
π Link: All the details about the Fairy’s Cave
βοΈ Description: The Saint-Maurice Fairy’s Cave in the Lower Valais is an underground space containing a small lake into which a waterfall flows. The lake is accessible by a hose in the rock.
The small lake surrounded by a suspended path.
A video about the Fairy Cave and the restaurant next to it.
π Walk from the entrance of the rock face at the level of the restaurant to the cave and back.
π Length: 1 km
π Positive height difference: 0 mΓ¨tres
β²οΈ Time: 20 min (it takes 15 minutes from the parking lot to reach the entrance)
Gorges of Durnand
π Location: Bovernier, Canton of Valais
π Link: All the details about the Gorges of Durnand
βοΈ Description: The Durnand Gorges are one of the most beautiful gorges in Europe.
Les passerelles surplombant les gorges du Durnand.
The footbridges overlooking the Durnand Gorges.
π Stroll in the form of a loop, the outward journey goes up the river with footbridges suspended over the gorges and return through a pine forest.
The Durnand gorges route starting from the restaurant.
π Length: 1.5 km
π Positive height difference: 150 mΓ¨tres
β²οΈ Time: 1 heure
Euseigne Pyramides
π Location: Euseigne, Canton of Valais
π Link: All the details about the Euseigne Pyramides
βοΈ Description: The pyramids of Euseigne are a unique geological curiosity in Switzerland in the HΓ©rens valley.
The road passes through the pyramids of Euseigne.
A drone video of the Euseigne Pyramids.
π Stroll around the pyramids.
π Length: 1 km
π Positive height difference: 40 mΓ¨tres
β²οΈ Time: 30 minutes
Tine de Conflens
π Location: La Sarraz, Canton of Vaud
π Link: All the details about the Tine de Conflens
βοΈ Description: The Tine de Conflens is the confluence of two rivers that form beautiful gorges and waterfalls at this location.
The Tine de Conflens.
A video about the Tine de Conflens.
π Stroll from the car park to the Tine de Conflens through the forest.
π Length: 1.1 km
π Positive height difference: 30 mΓ¨tres
β²οΈ Time: 40 min
Arolla Blue Lake
π Location: Arolla, Canton of Valais
π Link: All the details about the Arolla Blue Lake
βοΈ Description: The blue lake of Arolla is a beautiful lake near Arolla in the Val d’HΓ©rens.
The blue lake of Arolla.
A video about the visit of the blue lake of Arolla.
π Length: 3 km
π Positive height difference: 300 meters
β²οΈ Time: 100 minutes
Pissevache Waterfall
π Location: Vernayaz, Canton of Valais
π Link: All the details about the Pissevache Waterfall
βοΈ Description: The Pissevache is a waterfall of the Salanfe river in the lower Valais.
The Pissevache waterfall.
An aerial video of the waterfall.
π Length: 0.4 km
π Positive height difference: 0 mΓ¨tres
β²οΈ Time: 10 minutes
A video on the Pissevache Waterfall.